


waiting on you to get your ass in gear

by scepticallyopenminded



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (mentioned in passing), Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Architect Derek Hale, First Dates, First Meetings, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Mentioned Kate Argent, POV Derek, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-28 00:36:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15696585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scepticallyopenminded/pseuds/scepticallyopenminded
Summary: Derek doesn’t have an aversion to dating, if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s not aromantic or asexual, he likes sex just fine and has had a few one night stands just in the last year and has definitely been in love with people at points in his life. It’s just. Relationships aren’t really his forte, at least not anymore.





	waiting on you to get your ass in gear

**Author's Note:**

> sure, i should be working on my other shit but instead! have one of a few short fics I've been writing instead! haha fuck me!
> 
> title from "Stop Desire" by Tegan and Sara
> 
> quick warning for possible abuse tag: mentioned in passing, verbal/emotional abuse, see: Kate Argent warning

Derek pulls up to the coffeeshop he frequents, seven-thirty a.m. Monday morning. He goes every morning every weekday regardless, but last night had been particularly brutal, as Laura, her fiancé Dean, and Cora had convinced him to go out to a bar and then _hounded_ (well, Laura and Cora did; Dean tended to stay quiet during these conversations) him about going on dates, finding someone because they refused to acknowledge that maybe he’s happy single.

They’d ended up staying out too late for a Sunday night, like the college kids they definitely aren’t anymore, not even Cora as she’s going on twenty-four this year and happily paralegal-ling the hell out of the firm she’s been working at for two years, and he hadn’t hit his bed until near one that morning and _he needs coffee_.

His phone rings just as he’s getting out of the car, locking behind him. It’s inevitable, the deep groan that extrudes from him when he sees the caller ID, loud enough even the person two spots away getting into their car looks over, concerned.

“Laura,” he says, putting the phone to his ear as he heads toward the building.

“Good morning!” she chirps, sounding far too chipper for it being so early in the morning and he’s sure she didn’t get to bed any earlier than he did, “How are you today?”

 _That_ makes Derek suspicious, as Laura is blunt as hell and almost never asks small-talk questions, more likely to get to the point. Especially on the phone, because as outgoing and extroverted as she is, she doesn’t like talking on the phone any more than Derek does.

“A little tired. Are you calling to let me know you won’t be coming in today?”

Laura huffs, and it’s warranted because in the five years since they opened their contracting and design business together, she’s been absent from work exactly one day, and that was to get her wisdom teeth pulled.

“No. Though I won’t be in for a few hours, I’ve got that meeting this morning – ”

“With the Whittemores, yeah.” Derek pulls the door to the café open, stepping back to make room for the older woman who’s exiting. She gives him a friendly smile, and he returns what he hopes is equally as friendly a smile back, though it’s impossible to know what his face does when he’s talking to Laura. He loves her, he really really does and he wouldn’t have gone into business with her if they didn’t get along, and she’s his best friend easily. But she’s also pushy, obnoxious, and generally has a personality that’s the exact opposite of Derek’s.

“Right. But I wanted to call to let you know that Aaron agreed to take you out this weekend.”

Derek half wishes he were already at work right then, so at least he could be banging his head on his desk while having this conversation. Instead, he holds back a second groan, going to the end of the short line and glancing at the menu on the wall, as he’s going to order something new and not the same thing as every other day.

“Really?” he asks. It’s a gift, the amount of irritation he can fit into one word, but it’s a gift all the Hale’s share and one that absolutely doesn’t intimidate Laura in any way.

“ _Yes_ , really,” she replies, and _she_ sounds annoyed like she wasn’t the one calling Derek and trying to get him to go on a date he doesn’t want to go on, “Honestly Derek, it’s _one_ date. He’s excited at the prospect.”

Derek sighs as the person in front of him pays and it’s his turn.

“Just a sec, Lo,” he tells his sister, smiling at the barista in front of him.

“Large Americano, please,” he says, listening to where Laura apparently has ignored him, continuing to talk.

“We need to find a date and time you’re both free – ”

“Three forty,” the barista tells him, and Derek hands over a five with a “Keep the change,” and goes over to stand out of the way to wait for his drink.

“I told you _last_ night I’d think about it,” he interrupts Laura, who’s uncharacteristically quiet for a moment before she speaks up again, voice gentle.

“I know. I know, I just – we want you to be happy, Der. And I think you need to give this relationship an actual chance, I could see something good happening between you and Aaron.”

And that, exactly, is why Derek loves her to death. Because Laura, though she can be a bitch sometimes, overbearing, and occasionally insensitive, she cares about her family deeply and does whatever she deems is best for them. Sometimes it’s rough, but it’s always what she thinks is in their best interest.

He’s quiet for just a moment.

“Okay. I’ll do it if – _if_ ,” he emphasizes it when she lets out a squeal of excitement, sighing and rolling his eyes, “If you and Cora promise to stay the fuck out of my love life for a least a year after this date, _regardless_ of what happens between Aaron and I.”

“Promise,” Laura agrees readily enough and it _almost_ makes Derek feel guilty for holding out for so long, except _no_ , he gets to decide who he goes on dates with, “As long as _you_ agree to give him a real chance.”

“I give all my dates a real chance,” he replies patiently, “I do, they just…nobody feels right. Maybe Aaron will.”

“Large Americano!” a different barista, one who’s here most days, calls out, and Derek steps forward, taking it gratefully with a smile. The barista recognizes him, though they’ve never had a chance to talk beyond business since Derek only comes when the place is busy, and returns with a grin that’s much friendlier than Derek’s own. Derek recognizes, not for the first time, that the barista who makes the drinks is especially attractive, just his type – tall, deep brown hair, brilliant smile. Right. Derek turns toward the door.

“So when’s he free?”

“How about I give you his number and you find that out for yourself?” Laura retorts, which is totally rich considering she’s the one setting him up. Derek snorts, rolls his eyes, but complies.

*

Derek doesn’t have an _aversion_ to dating, if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s not aromantic or asexual, he likes sex just fine and has had a few one night stands just in the last year and has definitely been in love with people at points in his life. It’s just. Relationships aren’t really his _forte_ , at least not anymore.

He’s had three real relationships in his life. His first was a high school sweetheart; they’d started dating at sixteen, and it had lasted until just before Paige’s nineteenth birthday, right after they graduated high school. It wasn’t that they’d broken up; instead, she’d very tragically died in a car accident while on the way home from his house one night. That kind of a thing _fucks_ up a person, and it’s no surprise to anyone that Derek doesn’t date for quite some time. It’s even kind of a miracle that he continues with his college plans and packs up and moves on a month and a half later, but he considers that Paige, smart, clever, and with a sharp tongue, definitely wouldn’t have wanted him to miss out on college.

So he goes, but he doesn’t date _anyone_ , not even for a single night, for a year afterward. He gets asked out all the time, and he _knows_ he’s good-looking and spends some of his free time in the gym, so he’s fit, too. Even then, he says no every time.

Until Kate. She came along the summer between freshman and sophomore year, a TA in one of Derek’s classes that semester. She’d been super sweet, intelligent, and fun to talk to, and though they’d flirted she was adamant not to date him until the class was over. And though in the four months they were together there were times when she was a bitch, snippy, an asshole, made him feel bad sometimes, Derek’d always considered she was just tired, stressed, a senior in college (looking back, though, he sees them as what they were: warning signs). But then in January of his sophomore year, they’d been sitting watching a movie and eating popcorn and though one moment she was laughing along with whatever stupid rom com they were watching the next she was coming at him with a kitchen knife.

Eight years later and he still doesn’t know what happened that night (not for a lack of trying) but knows she’d been admitted to a hospital for a while afterward. He doesn’t know where she is now, and really has absolutely no desire to.  Regardless, Derek still has the scar on his bicep to remind him of that night, and safe to say it had put him off dating for _quite_ some time.

When he was twenty-one, though, he met Theo. Theo was a grad student, getting a degree in environmental science, volunteered on weekends, and always had a gaggle of friends with him at any time, usually different people because _so many people_ liked him. That had all made Derek warier of him, since Kate had seemed super friendly and good before, but eventually he and Theo’d started dating after some friends set them up. Ten months and one week later, everything was great, except that Laura straight up told Derek that Theo’d tried getting with her at his twenty-second birthday party. And if he was willing to do that with Derek’s _sister_ , who’s to say that he wasn’t doing it with plenty of other people behind Derek’s back? That had been some type of prediction, because less than a month later he found out Theo’d been with a number of people in the short span of their relationship.

Cheating certainly happens more often than it should and doesn’t usually stop someone from dating long term, but Theo’s betrayal in accompaniment with Kate’s psychopathy and Paige’s death told Derek that maybe he was just better off alone. It doesn’t stop him from dating _entirely_ , but he’s twenty-eight now and every date he’s been on in the last six years has felt stilted and awkward. Derek can’t figure out for sure if it’s him or the other people, but strong clues point it as being _him_. He never gets past three dates with any one person.

He gets hit on plenty, and asked out almost as much, even by total and complete strangers on the street (which will never, ever not be creepy. The fuck does anyone think he’ll go out with them based on one single interaction? He hopes he’s not giving out any desperate vibes). And like he said, he knows he’s attractive, knows that the cheekbones, the stature, dark hair and height, the muscles built up from blowing off steam from shitty relationships, work for a lot of people. But he’s not much for socialization, never has been; the only reason he’d been so popular in high school was because of his involvement in basketball and baseball and because of Paige, who’d been much more sociable and likeable than him. Going on dates with people he knows absolutely nothing about? Not going to happen.

The worst of it, though, isn’t even the random strangers. He can _deal_ with that, say no and move on with his day. But Laura and Cora _love_ setting him up on dates with people they know. _None_ of the people they’ve set him up with yet have ever seemed interested in actually dating him, and a good handful of them have actually done it _just_ to make someone else jealous (Cora has a particular knack for choosing those ones).

 _That’s_ why he’s so wary of Aaron, the surgeon who went to college with Laura and is the older brother of one of Cora’s coworkers. They both know the man well enough, though Derek’s never even seen him, and the fact that he’s _highly_ endorsed by both Laura and Cora _should_ make him feel better, but in all honestly it makes him even more unsure.

And last night, at their bar gathering, they’d both been pestering Derek to “just give him a chance” and he said he’d think about it, explicitly and he _meant_ it. He _would_ think about it, and already had that morning before Laura called him. It’s half annoying that she insisted, by _seven-thirty in the morning_ , to take matters into her own hands, but he reminds himself throughout the day that she’s only doing what she thinks is best for him.

Aaron responds happily when Derek texts him later that night, and he counts it as a good sign.

*

And that’s why that Saturday, Derek’s sitting at the café, the same one he regularly frequents throughout the week. He’s sipping his rapidly-cooling Americano, musing about how quiet the place is on a weekend, him and another group of three sitting down, only the occasional person or couple wandering in. He’s never spent more than ten minutes in the place, always just stopping by before and, on days when something is especially tiring, after, work. For the first time, he really notices the décor; it’s meant to give the place a cozy feeling, even more so than the already-small square footage does. Laura would approve of the soft colors, mismatched comfy furniture, and small bookshelf on the left side next to the counter.

He glances up as the door jingles, signaling someone coming into the building, but – nope. Not Aaron, who he knows is tall and blond and not the couple of teenage girls who burst in, giggling at each other. But he’s been waiting for Aaron for – he picks up his wrist, checking his watch – for nearly an _hour_ , he realizes when he sees it’s 12:48. Obviously not the respectful and thoughtful person his sister’s claim he is.

“You okay?”

The voice causes Derek to jump, and he looks up to see – that attractive barista who’s always hanging around, brown hair and pretty brown eyes behind square-rimmed glasses, wearing the usual ensemble of black on black on black, only broken up by the brightly-colored logo on his black apron. He’s standing at the edge of Derek’s table, staring down at him cautiously.

“Um, yeah?”

He’s not sure why the man’s asking, but he doesn’t seem satisfied with Derek’s question-of-an-answer, as a second later he’s sitting – or rather, throwing himself into – the chair opposite Derek, tossing the rag he’d been cleaning tables with between them.

“That’s a question? You keep glancing at the front door nervously, and you’ve been sitting here for an hour by yourself, which I mean more power to you, dude, if that’s good with you, but most people bring a laptop or a book to keep them occupied.”

“I’m – waiting for someone,” Derek replies stiltedly, blinking in shock at the way the barista just inserts himself into Derek’s area so easily. Who’s now leaning on the table, chin set on interlocked fingers, watching Derek with squinted eyes.

“You get stood up?” he asks bluntly, expression a cross between pity and curiosity. It makes Derek lurch back, unsure how exactly he came to that conclusion.

“Um. I – ” Derek starts, looking back over to the counter where the other barista is making the girls’ drinks, “Aren’t you going to get in trouble for sitting here talking when you’re supposed to be working?”

The man scoffs, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms.

“Not gonna fire myself, and as I own the place, nah.”

Derek blinks. _What_. The man – _boy,_ really, though he has a hint of scruff like he hasn’t shaved since the previous day – doesn’t look old enough to be out of college, besides own a coffee shop.

“Besides,” the _owner_ continues, “Isaac’s got it under control. He’s up for a keyholder position, more than capable, and we’re almost never busy on weekends anyway.”

And then he’s raising his eyebrows, looking expectantly at Derek.

“So you got stood up, huh?”

“What makes you think I’m waiting for a _date_?” Derek asks, wondering what gave him away. His grip on the mug in front of him tightens, more than thrown off balance by this interaction. The guy laughs.

“Uh. You’ve been a regular for months but never sat down, never came in on a weekend. Come in like clockwork Monday through Friday but a Saturday? Unheard of. You’re nervous,” he gestures to Derek, who’s suddenly aware of his tight grip and bouncing leg. He stops.

“And while that _might_ be a sign of something else, like anxiety or you could just be nervous about a job interview or something, in general I only see people like that around here when they’re waiting for first dates. Cafés tend to be good public places to meet people for the first time.”

Derek starts with surprise that the guy recognizes him, though he’s obviously served him enough and Derek’s enough of a regular for that to be completely _un_ surprising. But also –

“You’re pretty observant,” he tells the man, who’s smile brightens. He leans forward again, eyes sparkling and wow, but yeah, he’s pretty.

“Now that you know, you wanna talk about getting stood up?”

“Let’s say I _am_ getting stood up,” Derek allows, speaking slowly, “What makes you think I’d want to talk to you, a virtual stranger, about it?”

The guy shrugs, but none of the brightness falls from his expression, none of the amusement from his eyes.

“My friends tell me I’m charming and a great listener.”

“Bet they also tell you you’re persistent and annoying.”

It comes off grating and rude, and Derek winces; he only meant it as a joke, a bad one at that. He’s not great at social interaction, and he’s certainly not used to people sitting down with him and asking personal invasive questions outside of “You want to go for a drink?” or “Come home with me”. The man outright laughs, though, obviously not offended in the least.

“Not the first time I’ve heard that, no,” he says, leaning forward as he he’s about to whisper a secret. They stare at each other a moment before the man sticks out a hand.

“Mieczysław Stilinski, though those I like get to call me Stiles,” he pauses as Derek slowly takes his hand, “I like you, so you can call me Stiles.”

Derek can’t help the huff of a laugh that escapes him at that, and he releases _Stiles’_ hand.

“Mieczysław? Polish?” he asks, and it’s Stiles who seems surprised this time, then impressed.

“Even my own dad can’t pronounce my name correctly half the time, so good on you.”

Derek shrugs, telling himself sternly he will _not_ feel pride in impressing this man, damn it, he’s waiting for _another_ man for a _date_.

“I’m a bit of a linguaphile,” he explains, fighting the blush threatening his cheeks and he’s utterly grateful not for the first time for his beard, just long enough to be fluffy and covering a good portion of his face.

Stiles takes another moment to look impressed before his expression twists into expecting again. Derek sighs, taking a drink of his coffee – yeah, _very_ cold by now, and he doesn’t especially like cold coffee. He sets the mug down, pushes it away so he doesn’t accidentally drink from it again in nervousness.

“Uh. Derek. Hale,” he answers gruffly, and Stiles nods and smiles, satisfied.

“So. You got stood up.”

Yeah, he’s persistent as fuck, but Derek finds he doesn’t really mind the weird line of questioning. It makes him feel weirdly nice, to have someone actually interested in anything he has to say.

“Fine, yeah. It was a first date, he’s a friend of my sisters. They set us up.”

The information comes out of Derek’s mouth easier than it usually does, and he sits back in his seat as Stiles nods again. He’s surprised in himself, honestly; he’s a private person, he really is, under normal circumstances, quiet.  

“So your sister set you up – ”

“Sisters,” Derek corrects automatically, “I’ve got two.”

Stiles stops, looks at him for a moment before continuing.

“Sister _s_. Set you up, and he stands you up for the very first date?”

Derek shrugs, checks his watch again – 12:54.

“Looks it. He’s nearly an hour late.”

Stiles’ eyebrows go _up_.

“You waited nearly an hour for a first date? I mean, I’ve wanted forty minutes before, but that was with someone I had an established relationship with already.”

Derek shrugs, looking down at the rag in front of Stiles and feeling a bit self-conscious.

“My sisters expect a lot of this date. They’re worried about me.”

“Oh?” The curious tone in Stiles’ voice has Derek looking up again. Stiles looks like a cat who got the cream, hint of a smirk on his face, “Why are they worried?”

Derek shrugs, light smile on his lips.

“I don’t date often, haven’t been on a date in a while, and it’s been even longer since I’ve had any sort of a relationship with anyone.”

This doesn’t seem to be the answer Stiles is expecting, and he blinks in surprise, trailing his gaze over Derek a long moment before meeting his eyes again.

“ _You_ haven’t been on a date in a while?”

It makes Derek feel self-conscious again, and he pulls his mug back over just to have something to fiddle with and doesn’t have to look at Stiles, embarrassed.

“I don’t have a good track record. I haven’t really dated any one person in the last six years.”

“And there’s something wrong with that?” Stiles asks, and it’s Derek’s turn to stare in shock. He’s never had anyone react to that revelation like that – they’re usually amazed he hasn’t dated or had a relationship, at least agreeing it’s crazy.

“Uh. No. At least, not for me. I think my sisters are worried I’m going to end up alone forever or something, but I – I’m happy enough, being single for now. I just haven’t met anyone who works for me, who I can…” he trails off, licking his lips, unsure he’s willing to say what he would have said next.

“Who you can?” Stiles insists nonetheless, either oblivious to Derek’s discomfort or ignoring it. Derek hesitates for just another moment.

“Who I can trust.”

“Bad dating history?” Stiles asks, pity again except now it’s mixed with…empathy, maybe. Like he _gets_ it, and suddenly Derek’s curious, too.

“You could say that,” he replies shortly, though, because he doesn’t want people to _pity_ him. He’s _okay_.

“How even old are you that your sisters are _that_ worried about your lack of a love life, though?” is Stiles’ next question, and he’s leaning forward on his elbows, only two head’s widths away from Derek and he can see little freckles, moles, scattered across his face and sharp jaw.

“Twenty-eight, but Laura – my older sister, she’s been in a relationship for the last seven years, they’re getting married in the next couple of years. And even my younger sister Cora just recently got out of a two-year relationship.”

“Well,” Stiles starts again after a short pause, glancing out the window they’re sitting next to, watching a passing couple, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m twenty-five and haven’t been in a long-term relationship since I walked in on my boyfriend of three years fucking a freshman in our apartment my senior year of college.”

He looks back at Derek, who’s jaw has dropped in absolute horror. Stiles laughs, though.

“I mean, it’s cool now. I kicked him out and moved on, I’m comfortable now. It’s just – I know the feeling of second-guessing everyone who you might trust, after that.”

Derek tightens his grip on his mug again, psyching himself up because though Stiles isn’t saying anything, probably doesn’t _expect_ any response, that story is just _begging_ for one from Derek so they can commiserate in their shitty love lives together.

“Yeah. My first girlfriend died. Then my next relationship – over a year later – she tried to, uh, to kill me, so that ended immediately with her in the hospital and me with a massive scar on my arm. My last relationship – the one that ended six years ago – he cheated on me, with multiple people over our relatively short relationship.”

Derek watches as Stiles face turns from curiosity to disbelief to shock to thoughtfulness the further he gets, and he bites his lip for the long moment they sit in silence after he finishes.

“I…I was in love with this girl for nearly eight years of my life,” Stiles confesses after a while, staring up at the ceiling, “She completely ignored me for almost all of that.” He looks back down, locks eyes with Derek.

“We started talking during junior year of high school because my best friend started dating _her_ best friend, and I realized how weirdly obsessed I was and backed off. Once we got to know each other more I realized how cool of a person she actually is and kinda fell outta love with her. Which is great, because now she’s one of my closest friends and I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“Huh,” is how Derek responds because _how_ are you _supposed_ to respond to something like that? He observes Stiles quietly for a few moments. He kinda reminds Derek of Laura, in that he seems spunky, outgoing, bright and different. Uniquely easy to talk to.

“Yeah,” Stiles continues, “So, y’know, I know about the whole. Shitty love life thing. Because after her I didn’t date anyone ‘til my freshman year of college, and then – yeah, that’s when I met _the dude_. Jay. And since then – I mean, I have dates every once in a while, usually with someone the girl I was in love with – Lydia – usually with someone she sets me up with, sometimes with someone I meet at a bar or something, but. It’s hard coming off that and just getting back into it, trusting people not to fuck you over.”

“Exactly,” Derek agrees with a nod; Stiles _gets_ it. He takes a breath, looking out the window again as they lapse into quiet. Someone jogs past with a dog, and Derek watches them round the corner before looking back over at Stiles, who’s still staring at him, unreadable expression.

“So, uh, where’d you go to school, anyway?” he asks, because that’s what people do, right? Ask each other questions and have _conversations_. Derek can almost hear Laura in the back of his head, encouraging him while Cora laughs at how awkward he is. Stiles doesn’t seem to think so, as he immediately smiles.

“Uh, USC. Didn’t want to go far from home – this, Beacon Hills is home, I grew up here. So it was either USC, UCLA, or USF. It’s been only me and my dad…um, since I was seven when my mom died. Actually, uh, the previous owner of this place,” Stiles gestures around the shop, face softening to fondness, “Marge is her name. She’s kind of like a grandma to me, especially after Mom died. Promised she’d give me a good deal on this place after I graduated if I wanted it, so I got a business degree so I could actually do something with it.”

Derek nods, unsure where to go after that. It doesn’t matter, Stiles must feel less awkward about all this than he does, just plows on.

“What about you? What do you do for a living?”

“Oh,” is how Derek starts. He always tries to avoid small talk (maybe why his dates go so badly?) so it throws him off, that they’re doing this. There’s also that he really _is_ a private person, doesn’t offer just anybody information about himself so easily as he is right now, but with Stiles he feels like he _wants_ to. Not even his own parents know the full story about Kate or why he and Theo broke up, and it’s jarring to think about how much he’s so easily shared with Stiles.

“I, uh, I’m an architect. I co-own a business downtown with my sister, she’s a designer. We, uh, we build a lot of private houses, fix up rundown places sometimes.”

“Like some flip-that-house shit?” Stiles asks, impressed again. Derek snorts, shaking his head.

“Not nearly as fun. We usually fix up places that people already own, though we’ve done a flip once. Lots of pressure, lots of fun, but an investment we’re not sure we’ll be making anytime again in the near future.”

Stiles nods, still looking relatively fascinated. Derek can feel the blush creeping back up on his face, again thankful for the cover of his facial hair.

They lapse into silence, not uncomfortable but unsure, and Stiles looks over at the other barista – Isaac? – and Derek watches, awkward and too quiet as ever.

“So, uh,” Stiles starts, and Derek looks to him, eager, “Would you like to – ”

A sharp _riiiiing_ interrupts them and has them both jumping. Derek grabs his phone from the table where it’s been laying facedown, looking at the contact.

“It’s, uh, the guy,” he tells Stiles very uninformatively. Stiles raises one eyebrow as Derek’s answers, looking out the window again.

“Hello?”

“Derek,” Aaron sounds so relieved when he answers, “I am _so_ sorry, there was this huge pileup accident this morning and I got called in at like three a.m. I thought we were going to get done on time so I didn’t bother contacting you – ” he starts.

“Don’t worry about it,” Derek interjects, glancing at Stiles who’s watching him, eyes squinted and slight smirk on his face, “I get it. Part of the job.”

Aaron lets out a breath.

“Yeah, of course. Some days are longer than others. But, uh, I’m done now? And was wondering if you wanted to go out for a late lunch instead. I haven’t eaten since last night and I am _starving_.”

Derek isn’t sure that he wants to, now, but he knows that he wants to get Laura and Cora off his case, which is far from the best reason to date but the only reason he’s really here in the coffeeshop now, anyway. And, if he’s being honest, he’s finding himself more and more interested in Stiles. Who…probably isn’t at all interested in _him_ , and Aaron very clearly is. He looks back to Stiles, still staring, eyebrow raised, and Derek sighs.

“Yeah, sure, that sounds good.”

“Great! How about we meet at that sandwich shop over on First – you know the one?”

“I do,” he nods, and Stiles chuckles at the movement. Derek draws his eyebrows together, confused, before realizing what he’s laughing at and he resists the urge to childishly stick his tongue out at Stiles.

“Great, yeah. Meet you there at – two? It’s near where I live, so it should be enough time for me to get cleaned up and get there.”

“Two sounds good,” Derek agrees, and Aaron lets out another breath, clearly relieved.

“Thanks for understanding, Derek. See you then.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

He hangs up, setting his phone back down on the table. Stiles’ expression is one of pure curiosity, and he allows just a second to pass before asking the obvious question.

“Good excuse?”

“He called into the hospital this morning – he’s a surgeon – and just done with his shift.”

“A surgeon,” Stiles contemplates, blinking and looking suspiciously at Derek, “And you’re not interested in that?”

Derek shakes his head, grin on his lips and he allows himself a moment of courage.

“Blond and blue eyes really aren’t my thing,” he offers slowly, “More into sparkly brown eyes and quick wit.”

Stiles seems to catch on, if the brilliant smile he returns is any indication. He licks his lips, and Derek tracks the movement but it’s short lived because Derek has to go soon – the restaurant’s on the other side of town, and it’s thrown his entire day out of whack, so he should try to hit up the post office before he goes like he was going to do after the date.

“Right, um, but I do really have to go. We’re actually meeting up for lunch, instead.”

Stiles face falls, immediate frown, and he stands abruptly, grabbing the rag off the table between them and decidedly not looking at Derek.

“Right, okay, well, um, you have fun – ”

He looks ready to run and Derek can’t have that. He stands, too.

“Wait.”

Stiles pauses a moment, blinks at the table, before raising his eyes to meet Derek’s.

“You wanna go out sometime?”

The words are out of Derek’s mouth before he can fully process what he’s asking, and while he’s surprised at himself he’s also proud, doesn’t regret the question at all. Stiles’ face goes through various expressions before landing on skeptical, and he stares at Derek with squinted eyes, head cocked to the right, and Derek’s face is heating again. He brushes his cheek, desperately hoping Stiles can’t see the red.

“Are you asking me out on the way to a date with another man?” Stiles asks, and Derek’s eyes go wide at the realization, not having recognized that’s _exactly_ what he’s doing. What the fuck? He opens his mouth to say something else, to defend himself, but then Stiles is smiling again, holding out his hand, palm up.

“Gimme your phone. I’ll add my number, and, should your date not work out today, give me a call.”

Derek grins, grabbing his phone from the table and handing it over.

“I’ll call you tonight,” he promises when he’s got his phone again, and Stiles laughs, raising an eyebrow.

“You seem too sure of that.”

“I am,” Derek asserts, putting the phone in his back pocket and taking his jacket off the back of the chair, slipping it on. They stare at each other another moment before Stiles nods, stepping backward.

“Have fun. I’ll see you around.”

Derek’s grin widens.

“You certainly will.”

He passes by, heading toward the door and only glancing back once he’s opening it. Stiles is back behind the counter again, and Isaac’s saying something to him, but his eyes are on Derek still. Derek raises his hand for a small wave, and Stiles returns it, sucking on his inner cheek, and then Derek’s out the door, headed for his car.

*

“You’re distracted,” Aaron observes, taking a bite of his sandwich. Derek looks up from where he’s been staring into his drink, thrown off when he realizes _he’s still on his date with Aaron_.

“Oh. Sorry,” he says, picking at his fries again, “Um, you were saying?”

Aaron gives him an indulgent smile, and the thing is, he _is_ as handsome as his sisters were saying; bright blue eyes, hair cut that worked for his face shape, silky blond hair, and he fills out the jeans/t-shirt combo he’s got going on nicely. Derek can see; he gets exactly what Laura and Cora were thinking, and any other time Derek might think so on more than an analytical level, but Aaron’s not the best-looking person Derek’s seen all day.

“Yeah, just that…”

Derek tries to pay attention to the story Aaron’s telling, he really does. He’s not an asshole normally, at least not in this way and definitely not around practical strangers, but Aaron’s _right_ , he’s distracted. He’s sure Aaron is great and all, would be great for him, he’s easily the best date either Laura or Cora’s set him up on in a few months, but. How does he tell this guy, that he’s _currently_ on a date with, that he’s distracted because he’s thinking of someone else? And not even someone he knows well enough to like as much as he does, just the owner of a café he goes to often that he had a twenty-minute conversation with.

“Derek?”

It startles Derek again, this time from staring at the wall just beyond Aaron’s head.

“You sure you’re okay?” He seems genuinely concerned, and Derek feels _guilty_. He shakes his head.

“I – yeah,” he tries again, giving Aaron the best smile he can maintain, “Yeah, sorry. I’m a little distracted but – ”

“An understatement,” Aaron jokes, but Derek can tell that there’s a hint of annoyance in his tone. Derek reprimands himself before pasting on a more interested face.

“I really am sorry. Continue?”

Aaron gives him a look, but restarts his story _again_ , and this time Derek forces himself to pay attention, laughing at all the right moments and nodding along.

They get through the rest of their late lunch, and it’s just after three when they depart the restaurant, but Derek _knows_. He and Aaron would probably make a great couple, that the other man comes with the highest of recommendations, but also that it just _wouldn’t_ work out between them. That’s mostly because Derek’s fault, because he’s spent a good portion of their date thinking about someone else, but also in the long run? Derek doesn’t feel any of those tingles in his stomach, nothing sparking between them.

Stiles? Well, Derek doesn’t know if he believes in love at first sight, and that’s certainly not what happened with Stiles, but. Derek also found himself opening up about things he doesn’t talk to _anyone_ about, Stiles’ persistence and general curiosity refreshing.

Whatever it is, Derek’s far more interested in Stiles than he is in Aaron.

“So, uh,” Aaron starts as they head back to their cars, and Derek can see that figment of hope in his eyes. He feels bad about it, he _does_ because he never _loves_ turning someone down, someone who’s been excited about this date from the very beginning. He shakes his head.

“Uh, I’m, uh, I’m sorry, but – ”

“Somebody else on your mind,” Aaron fills in, running his tongue along his teeth and he sighs, but puts on a sad smile, “I know.”

“Sorry.” Derek shrugs.

“Nah. Don’t worry about it,” Aaron insists, sticking out his hand, “It was good to meet you, anyway.”

Derek stands there a moment, because Aaron’s truly a good person and that, if nothing else, is more than evident. Patient, intelligent, literally saves lives every day, and clearly understands “nope” when he’s told it. He eventually shakes the hand held out, and Aaron pulls back after a moment, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jacket. With one last smile, he turns away, heads over toward his own car.

Derek watches him as he gets in, wondering, but then a smile breaks on his own face, genuine and full. He pulls out his own phone, unlocking his car and getting in; he’s got a call to make.

*

“I’ve got a date,” he tells Laura later that evening when she calls to check in.

“ _See_ ,” she starts, excitement and superiority clear in her voice, “I told you you and Aaron would get along well.”

“It’s not with Aaron.” Derek doesn’t let her get any farther than that, and after his statement there’s a long silence, the only alert she hasn’t been disconnected her soft breathing through the line. It’s not often Derek makes her speechless, and he revels in it, taking a big bite of his pizza.

“Did you…did you not go out with him today?” she asks slowly, trying to piece together what he’s saying. Derek quickly finishes chewing and swallows.

“I did, yeah. Well, we were supposed to meet for coffee, I told you that, but then he didn’t show up ‘cause he got called in this morning – ”

“Which you can’t blame him for,” Laura interrupts, quick to defend, and Derek rolls his eyes. Does his sister think he’s a dick?

“Of course not,” he scoffs, “We went out for lunch instead after he got out.”

Pause.

“And yet,” she draws out the word, and Derek may not be able to see her but he knows the face she’s making; probably staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out where this is going.

“And yet, this date you’ve got, it isn’t with him?”

Derek shakes his head, grabbing another piece of pizza, before he remembers he’s on the phone. It reminds him of what happened earlier with Stiles, and he snorts.

“No.” He makes quick work of another bite of pizza. “No, I met someone else.”

“While you were on a date with Aaron?”

Honestly, he thinks that Laura thinks he’s an absolute prick.

“No, at the café we were supposed to meet up at. I waited for him for a while, and this guy comes over, asks if I’m getting stood up, and we end up talking for a while.”

“And…they asked you out, and you said yes?”

“I asked _him_ out,” he corrects. Another moment of quiet.

“Willingly?” Laura doesn’t sound like she believes it, and that’s fair considering Derek hasn’t set up any of his own dates in a year at least. But he still _can_ , he just _hasn’t_.

“Yes, willingly, dipwad,” he rolls his eyes again, and Laura huffs on the other end of the line, “Well, I mean, I did, but he told me to only call him if things didn’t work out between Aaron and I. Which,” he can _feel_ the question coming, “I really did try, Lo. But this guy – yeah. I called him a little while ago.”

“I’m…if you’re only doing this to shut Cora and I up, we do promise to stick to our deal of not bothering you about your love life for a while.”

“I’m not,” he reassures her, “I’m really not. But – yeah, you guys should let up on me, let me deal with my own dates and whatnot. I’m honestly happy being single right now. But.”

“But you like this guy,” Laura guesses. Not really guesses, she _knows_ him regardless of her occasionally shitty dates. Derek grins down into his meal, thinks about Stiles and how excited he’d seemed on the phone earlier.

And half of him considers that Stiles might be more than he’s ready for; talkative, annoyingly invasive, constantly curious.

Lovely. Easy to talk to. Kind of beautiful. Hadn’t run away when Derek’d asked him out _while_ on the way to a date with someone else.

“I think I could be happy with him, too.”

Laura lets out something akin to a squeal, only held back a little, and Derek has to pull the phone away from his ear to save his hearing.

“I’m so happy for you, Der, I honestly am,” she gushes, and maybe she’s a little bit too invested in his love life but supposes that’s the price he’s got to pay for their closeness, “You think this guy will last?”

Derek smirks, remembering the exuberant, “How about Thursday?” Stiles’d given him right away.

“Yeah. I think he will.”

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know if i missed any tags? 
> 
> don't post my shit on goodreads or like sites, thanks
> 
> find me sometimes at [asocialfoxpaw](http://asocialfoxpaw.tumblr.com)


End file.
